Catherine Zeta-Jones Opens Up About Sexual Misconduct Claims Against Michael Douglas, Says She Was Devastated

Like many others, Catherine Zeta-Jones recently found herself at the center of a sexual assault scandal.

Reported on by the Hollywood Reporter, allegations of sexual assault against Catherine’s husband, Michael Douglas, surfaced. The publication shared that a very well-known journalist and author named Susan Braudy claimed that she was sexually harassed by Douglas in the ’80s. Not only did Braudy claim that Douglas used “near-constant profane and sexually charged dialogue,” but she also claimed that he masturbated in front of her during a one-on-one meeting at his apartment.

Douglas has denied many of the allegations, saying that not everything he was accused of was true.

“I will fess up to colorful language, but the issue of masturbating in front of her? … This is a complete lie, fabrication, no truth to it whatsoever,” he told Deadline.

Now, Michael’s wife Catherine is finally speaking out about the rough time in her life in a candid interview with The Times. Not only does the 49-year-old say that the allegations were incredibly hard for her to deal with, but she also says that her children, Dylan and Carys, also had a rough time with it once news broke.

“My children and I were profoundly devastated by those allegations. And I was torn about where my absolute morals lie. This woman came out of nowhere and accused my husband,” the Oscar winner continued. “I had a very big conversation with him, with the kids in the room, and said, ‘Do you understand if more comes out …'”

Catherine also said that the allegations were especially hard for her because the news broke just after the #MeToo Movement became really prevalent, with lots of women sharing stories about their experiences. But though it was incredibly hard, the Oscar winner says that that her marriage has had plenty of ups and downs over the years and she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel so quickly over allegations, especially after she said that Michael assured her that the stories were false.

“By telling us that there is no story here and that time will tell. And, of course, it did,” Catherine shared. “There was nothing to back it up at all. For any accusation that comes out that isn’t backed up, that knocks the movement back 20 years.”

And despite all of the hard times that the couple has faced, there was a bright spot in the career of Michael this year. As the Inquisitr shared, the actor finally earned his star on the infamous Hollywood Walk of Fame after an impressive career in Hollywood.